


Come back to me baby

by LaneMartin13



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Matt Holt/Shiro, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, a lot of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 11:59:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17849048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaneMartin13/pseuds/LaneMartin13
Summary: When Takashi Shirogane woke up that morning to the castle's blaring alarms, he had no idea that the day would go so wrong, so quickly.In which a mission goes horribly wrong and they have to fix it.Shiro swore on his life that he would fix it.





	1. When did it all go so wrong?

**Author's Note:**

> I have recently fallen back into my Shiro and Matt obsession, so that is how this came about. 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope you enjoy it!

       “Shit, Shiro, wait.” Matt stammered, running slightly slower and beginning to lose him as they sprinted down the hall. His leg ached horribly and he normally wouldn’t have said anything but the twinges of pain shooting up it were growing unbearable, his leg getting harder to put pressure on as the old injury flared once again. 

       “Matt, come on, we have to go.” Shiro ushered, grabbing his hand and pulling him along, too focused on the mission to register that something was wrong. 

       Matt stumbled, unable to catch himself and falling to the floor ungracefully. 

       “Shit, Matt!” Shiro exclaimed, looking behind him when their hands disconnected. He immediately halted his movements and dropped down beside him. “What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly, holding onto his arms in hopes of getting him up again.

       “Leg. Hurts too much.” Matt said through clenched and gritted teeth and Shiro suddenly just _knew._ He pushed the guilt that he was feeling down for the moment, nodding instead.

       “Okay, okay, I’m going to help you up, alright?” Shiro assured, standing up himself and slowly helping Matt up with him. “Now let’s—” but he was cut off by Matt crying out his name in worry and pushing him aside.

       Shots fired past their bodies, just narrowly missing them had it not have been for Matt’s quick actions. The caramel haired boy activated his staff, leaning on it until the Galra got close enough. “Shiro,” he started, “you have to go.”

       “What?” Shiro asked incredulously, activating his arm and looking at him like he’d grown two heads. “No, I won’t leave you.” he argued, looking across at him from where they were separated by the corridor with shooting Galra.

       “You might have to.” is the last thing Matt said before rounding the corner he had been hiding behind, running and sliding on his knees across the floor, leaning back to avoid the beams that shot over his head. He slid to one of them, using his momentum to swing his staff at their legs and knock them down, stabbing their chest plate.

       “We need backup!” Shiro called into the comms, following Matt right into battle, swinging his arm back and using the enhanced strength to slice through another Galra.

       “Matt, behind you!” Shiro yelled when he caught the glimpse of one of them sneaking up on Matt, the rebel whipping around and swinging his staff in a high arch, smacking the soldier across the face and knocking their helmet off, knocking them out. 

       More Galra started to rush down the hall from both sides, starting to cage them in. The door to their exit was beginning to close and they both knew they had to act quickly.

       Fighting along side one another, they knocked down the Galra one by one, avoiding getting shot at by the ones moving in from down the hall. Just as they were nearing the exit, a large Galra came from behind them, slashing Shiro with its weapon before snapping its arm out and grabbing him by the neck, lifting him up off the ground as he started to choke.

       “Takashi!” Matt called in worry from nearby, throwing down another Galra. He grabbed its sword from the ground and stumbled at the sheer weight from it before recovering. Coming up from behind the large enemy, Matt lifted the sword, slicing it down their back before stabbing through him.

       The Galra cried out, dropping Shiro before whipping around, backhanding Matt and sending him to the ground as well, the sword skidding across the ground and away from all of them.

       “Shiro, go.” Matt urged, looking past the Galra at his boyfriend who was on the floor gasping to get his breath back. “Go!” Matt yelled, holding his staff again now that the Galra’s attention was on him. “The door’s about to close, Takashi, go, now!”

       “No!” Shiro refused, climbing to his feet and holding onto his bleeding wound at the same time as Matt rose, both of them stumbling.

       “Shiro!” A new voice called from behind him— Keith. “Shiro, come on!” he called desperately, him and Lance trying to hold the door open as best they could.

      Matt slid under the Galra’s legs as it took a large swing at him, sliding near Shiro. “I’m sorry.” he said hurriedly, pressing a desperate kiss to his lips. “I love you.” he said breathlessly, “Now go.” he finished, pushing him back as hard as he could towards the doors where Keith immediately grabbed onto him and yanked him through with only about a foot of opening left. 

      “Matt, come on!” Lance yelled, using his bayard to keep the door open for as long as possible.

       The caramel haired boy tried, rushing over but he was considerably slower given his aching leg. He was intercepted by the Galra who pinned him against the wall as more soldiers came, before throwing him down onto the ground.

       It wasn’t very long however when the door forced Lance’s bayard out, the closing slowly and the three boys having to lie on the floor to see what was going on and if they were able to help. In reality, no one could fit through the gap that remained, not even Pidge.

       “It’s okay.” Matt said to them as they watched in horror. With one last brilliant act of heroism, rebel commander Matthew Andreas Holt took his staff and raised it as the Galra came over him to kill him, impaling the enemy through the heart as he jumped down to try and crush Matt.

       “No!” Shiro cried out in anguish, his voice breaking in a way he’d never heard before. “No, no, no!” he cried, slamming his fists against the closed door as he stood in effort to break it down. It was no use.

       The Galra jumping in the air and Matt’s raised staff was the last image that Shiro, Keith, and Lance saw of the brilliant individual that was Matt Holt.


	2. Coming back to a broken home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro, Keith, and Lance become the bearers of bad news, I'm afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to tell the rest of the gang...

       When they had all made it back to the castle, their features were laced with sadness, their shoulders slumped and their heads down. Pidge, Hunk, Allura, and Coran were all waiting for them when they arrived, having gotten there earlier since they had been inside their lions when it happened. 

       “Guys, is everything alright?” Hunk asked timidly as he watched his teammates stop in front of them, their expressions mirroring each others.

       “Where’s Matt?” Pidge asked, her voice betraying her and cracking.

       “Pidge…” Shiro trailed off, not knowing how to tell her.

       “Where’s. Matt.” Pidge enunciated each word with a pause in between, her fists clenching as she looked at them. “Where’s my brother, Shiro?” she asked, her tone cold and hard but the worry apparent underneath.

       As if Allura knew, she covered his mouth with her hands, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

      “No.” Pidge denied, shaking her head. “No, no you’re lying. You’re wrong!” she cried. “He’s not, he can’t be, I just got him back!” she sobbed, screaming and hitting the ground with her bayard in anger. “He can’t be gone.” she denied vehemently, turning to the other two who were flanking Shiro. “Keith, Keith tell me it’s not true. Tell me he found his friends and he’s coming back.” she pleaded, but received only sad violet eyes. “Lance!” she cried next, turning to him, “Please Lance, please tell me he’s not—” but she cut herself off as sobs wracked her small frame and she collapsed to her knees. “It’s not fair! It’s not fair, goddammit!” she cried, burying her face in her hands and throwing her helmet off and to the side. _Matt. Her strong, genius brother was gone once again. Anybody but you. I’m so sorry Matty._

       Shiro wordlessly knelt down in front of her after removing his own helmet, engulfing her in his arms and holding her close to his chest as he let the tears flow. “I’m so sorry, Katie. I’m so so sorry. I failed you.” he whispered into her hair, closing his eyes. “I failed you both.” _And your father. I failed all of you._

       “Is there a chance he could be—”Allura asked softly, sniffing in between, eyes brimming with tears.

       Lance only shook his head slightly, eyes downcast, silencing the rest of her question and sparing them the pain.

       “We didn’t see the end. He could’ve— he had his staff up, he could’ve killed him— we don’t know if he’s dead.” Keith cut in, voice wavering slightly at the sight before him.

       “Keith…” Lance trailed off, “there were more soldiers coming, even if he did—”

       “You know what, no.” Keith interjected, turning to all of them. “He saved my life once, I won’t give up on him without proof. We don’t know what happened at the end, maybe they took him prisoner again. That means he’s still alive, that means we can still save him. He survived being their prisoner once, he can do it again.” he insisted, pleading with the rest of them.

       Hunk sniffled particularly loudly after a beat of silence. “Let’s get him back.” he nodded determinedly, standing straighter.

       “We will defeat the Galra, for Matt.” Allura nodded in agreement.

       “For Matt.” Coran declared in agreement, putting his hands on his hips and his head up high.

       “What do you say, Katie?” Shiro asked as he wiped his eyes, pulling back from holding her but keeping his hands on her arms. 

       “Let’s kill those bastards and get my brother back.” she said with a familiar fire in her words and gleam in her eye.

       They would finish this, for Matt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short but it gets longer as we go! 
> 
> Also I hate hurting Pidge :( the poor baby 
> 
> Thanks again for reading! 
> 
> \-- Lane :)


	3. Tell me this is real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months later, the paladins find something new. 
> 
> Alternatively titled: the rescue (hopefully)

       It had been two months. Two months without Matt. Two months of searching, of fighting, of torment. Two months and they had come up with nothing. Until today. 

       Pidge had used the radio that she built to listen in for signals coming from Galra ships and intercept their lines for information. One by one, they had taken them out. This one had been the most recent, and Pidge had nearly cried when she heard one of the generals talk about prisoners on board.

       And that is how the paladins of Voltron ended up hijacking yet another Galran base, frying their sensors and knocking down every soldier that came at them. Pidge and Hunk went down to free the prisoners as Shiro, Lance, and Keith kept it clear upstairs and prepared an escape pod for them.

      “You’re all free!” Pidge declared as she entered, jamming her bayard into the control panel and twisting it, sending sparks flying and causing the cell doors to swing open. The two paladins began to walk, helping people up and out towards the stairs, nodding as they were profusely thanked.

       They did one last sweep, Pidge now letting herself grow anxious as she checked each cell twice. She stopped in her tracks in the middle of the hall and closed her eyes, breathing deeply through her nose. 

       “Pidge! Pidge, come quick!” Hunk called worriedly from a cell further down that he had gone to check.

       Pidge’s eyes snapped open and she ran over to the sound of his voice, stopping in the doorway to the cell. “Oh god.” she breathed, entering hurriedly. “Matty, oh god.” she repeated, dropping down next to her unconscious brother. There was a scar down his cheek that wasn’t there before, his hair was a bit longer, there were scratches all over his body as far as she could tell, and he had holes in his clothes. Most worrisome though was his unnaturally pale complexion and slack expression, unfazed by the sounds of fighting coming from above and outside. If Pidge couldn’t see his chest steadily rise and fall, she would’ve thought him dead.

       Hunk got to work on checking him over and checking his pulse to make sure he was hanging on. “It’s a little weaker, I think he’s been drugged.” he deduced, tilting his head to the side and pointing to the small puncture marks on the side of his neck. 

       Pidge had so many emotions running through her body that she didn’t know where to start. She was _fuming_ that they did this to her brother and she wanted to hurt every single one of them for everything they did to him and her family, but she was also incredibly grateful that he was _alive_ and in one piece. She had found him. She had found him and now he needed her help. So Pidge steeled herself, standing upright with a curt nod. “Okay, we have to get him and everyone else out of here before they shoot this place to hell.”

       Hunk smiled softly in pride, bending to slide his arms under Matt’s knees and back, lifting him up and carrying him, following Pidge as she led the way out. “It’s clear, let’s go!” he called to the other paladins once they got back onto the main level.

       Lance turned around from where he had just ejected the escape pod, sending it towards the castle where the prisoners would be taken care of before finding their way back home. “You’re late to work, Hunk!” he called, forever the comic relief.

       “Sorry, you know how traffic is around here!” Hunk called back, staying close to Pidge who covered them as they made their way back to their lions.

       Shiro took the moment of cease fire as an opportunity to duck out of there and reach Black. “Everyone back to the castle!” he ordered, running into his lion. His heart nearly stopped when he caught sight of Matt in Hunk’s arms but he knew he couldn’t think about it right in this moment. His first priority was getting them out of there.

       Once everyone was in their lions, they took off into space again, leaving gaping holes on the ship as they blasted it together, avoiding the ion canon and managing to blow it to smithereens.

       “Let’s go home.” Pidge smiled as she looked at that piece of hell triumphantly. She turned in her chair to look at Matt’s unconscious form lying on a cot in her cockpit and she smiled once again. “I knew I’d find you, Matty.” she whispered, unaware that the others were listening.

       “I won’t say I told you so, but I definitely told you so.” Keith piped up after a few beats of silence.

       “ _Keith._ ” Lance whined, “You always gotta ruin the moment.” he groaned playfully.

       Finally, _finally_ they were together again, but they wouldn’t be entirely whole until they had Sam Holt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for reading! 
> 
> and YAY Matty is back!!! Thank god honestly


	4. Salvation is often taken for granted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the paladins & co. return home to the castle with their lost member and have to deal with the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter :)   
> It's a bit on the longer side...

       When they returned to the castle, Hunk had gone into Green and gotten Matt, carrying him to the infirmary with both Pidge and Shiro hot on his tail, the others trailing slightly behind to give them room. 

       Coran had run an entire medical examination on Matt once he was changedback into his regular clothes and they were able to see his injuries properly. “Well the good news is that aside from the minor scratches and new scar on his visage, Matt is in good shape— all things considered. He is however very malnourished and dehydrated but we will be able to take care of that in no time. His blood test has also come back with traces of a heavy sedative, and by the looks of his neck, they quite enjoyed using it on him.” he surmised, running through his entire report. When he was finished, he looked up, twisting the end of his mustache in between his fingers. “What I mean is that, he is going to be just fine and is in dire need of some rest, food, and water.” he rephrased, satisfied in the way everyone’s shoulders dropped in relief.

 

***

 

     Over the course of the next few days, Matt woke up a few times, albeit deliriously. It was clear from the moment he opened his eyes that he was not coherent. His glassy orbs looked up at the ceiling before his eyelids fluttered closed once again. This repeated every so often and each time either Pidge or Shiro would be there to coax him back to sleep.

     Finally, on the third day since returning from the base, Matt Holt opened his eyes with surprising clarity despite his sluggish motor skills and weakened body. “P-Pidge?” he croaked, sliding his hand to nudge hers.

       “Matt, oh thank god.” Pidge exclaimed, lurching out of her chair to embrace him, careful of the wires attached to him.

       “I knew you’d find me.” Matt whispered weakly into her hair, holding her close to him and planning on never letting go. He didn’t realize he had started crying until Pidge pulled away and began wiping his cheeks with her thumbs. “Sorry.” he apologized, raising the hand not attached to i.v.’s to wipe them away.

       “It’s okay to let it go, Matty. I think you of all people deserve to.” Pidge said softly, looking at him with tear laced eyes and grabbing his hand, looking down at it.

       Matt only nodded, his bottom lip beginning to quiver. He silently pulled her close to him again, resting his chin on her shoulder and closing his eyes.

_Let me take care of you for once, big brother._ Pidge thought to herself as she held him close, closing her eyes as well. They both knew the thought didn’t need to be voiced.

       That’s how Lance found them when he came to check in. Pidge sleeping beside Matt on the small bed, the older sibling’s head resting on her shoulder as he slept soundly. The blue paladin looked at the sight softly, taking his exit and alerting the others to not bother them.

 

***

 

       The next time Matt woke up, it appeared to be morning because Shiro was sitting in the chair beside his bed, rubbing his sleep plagued eyes. 

       “Shiro.” Matt whispered, clearing his throat to try and get some of his voice back. _That’s what two months of screaming will do to you._

       The other male’s eyes snapped open with newfound alertness, leaning forward in his chair and taking Matt’s hand in his, lacing their fingers. He raised his human hand to brush his hair back and out of from where it began to fall into his eyes. “Hey, Matt.” he whispered, sucking in a breath of relief.

       Another beat of silence and the two lovers were crying with each other, foreheads pressed together and hands linked, squeezing tightly as if they let go they would never find each other again.

       “I’m so sorry, Matthew.” Shiro whispered, moving out of the chair to get closer to him.

       “I’m sorry too.” Matt cried in response, just so incredibly _tired_ in every sense of the word. “I’m sorry I left you.”

       “You _saved_ me, Matt. You saved my life.” Shiro corrected, shaking his head.

       “I guess we’re even now then, huh?” Matt joked through a sniffle, a small broken laugh leaving his throat.

       “I guess so.” Shiro nodded, wiping at his eyes before closing the gap and kissing him.

       Matt laughed in relief through the tears, kissing him back with all the energy he had left, pulling away only to breathe. “I love you, Takashi Shirogane.”

       “I love you too, Matthew Andreas Holt.” Shiro smiled, pulling in for yet another hug.

 

***

 

       “They would take me into this big room, it looked like one for operations. There was blood on the floor and some on the walls, bodies covered in plastic just waiting to be thrown in this incinerator that they had.” Matt recounted, hands on his lap, fingers curling into his jeans tightly as his eyes glared down at the shining floor of the living room. 

       Shiro’s hand slid to his lower back, rubbing it gently through his jacket and giving Matt the strength he needed to continue.

       “They started with the people closest to the doors and they worked down from there, always going back if someone new was put in those front cells. I guess they liked their privacy or something, I don’t know.” he continued, “They passed me sometimes, but they didn’t take me like they took the others. The ones they took either came back barely alive, or didn’t come back at all. When they took me it was different.” he stammered, having to swallow before continuing again.

       He glanced up and saw everyone’s eyes on him but they were soft, angry at the ones who hurt him. “They mainly just drugged me.” he started again, raising one hand to cover the marks on his neck that were healing. “They would run scans and examinations, take advanced x-rays but they would never make incisions or anything like that. They hardly even touched me except to drug me or get me to cooperate. Of course they hardly fed us, mainly giving us these supplemental squares and some water.” he rambled towards the end. “I don’t remember some things because of the drugs, some days are spotty or not there at all.” he admitted, pausing before his next statement.

       “I saw dad though.” he finished, looking up to make eye contact with his sister who looked stunned. “He wasn’t on board when you got me!” he amended quickly, “He was gone long before then, actually. They put us together since we’re the same species, and he stayed with me every time they drugged me. When they came for us, I was still recovering and I was too weak to stand. Dad protected me and put up a hell of a fight. He punched one of them so hard, he sent their helmet skidding. That also meant they ganged up on him to take him away. I tried to help him but they pinned me down and I couldn’t move. When he looked back at me I knew what’d he done, he distracted them enough so they wouldn’t take me.” he explained, the grip on his knees tightening until his knuckles turned white.

       His sister looked on the verge of tears and he wanted nothing more than to reach out and hug her but he had to finish first. “I know he’s not dead, they took him to another camp with some others. One of the other people there said they saw him being led in the other direction, so he’s still alive. We can still get him.” he told his sister with newfound assurance, searching her expression.

       “We’ll make them pay.” Pidge swore, raising her glasses and swiping at her eyes.

       “Yeah pigeon, we will.” Matt nodded, reaching out and setting his hand on her knee, patting it.

       The other paladins, plus Allura and Coran, were looking at Matt with eyes holding a plethora of emotions, a mixture of fury, sadness, and guilt.

       Clearing her throat, Allura took charge once again. “Matt, you should get some more rest. The sedative is wearing off and you’re still quite weak.” she suggested, standing up.

       “We’ll work on finding your dad, Matt. Allura’s right.” Hunk agreed when he saw the eldest Holt’s hesitant expression.

       “Leave it to us, my guy. We’ve got your six. And seven. Eight too.” Lance nodded quickly.

       “What he said.” Keith said, rolling his eyes and gesturing to Lance.

       “Come on, I’ll take you.” Shiro said, resting a hand on his boyfriend’s thigh before standing up, holding out his hand.

      “I’ll come too, _you_ my dear brother need a haircut.” Pidge said, bouncing up and back to her usual self. _Compartmentalize._

       “Alright.” Matt nodded at all of them, standing up slowly on shaky legs, taking Shiro’s hand and later setting a hand on his forearm as his boyfriend slid one arm around his back for support.

 

***

 

       Two hours and one hair cut later, Matt was lying in bed in his pajamas, staring at the wall.

       “Hey.” Shiro said gently, climbing in behind him. “You with me?” he asked, setting a hand on his waist as he laid down.

       “Yeah.” Matt said softly, nodding just barely.

       “Are you feeling okay?” Shiro asked, reaching over to feel his forehead with the back of his hand. His skin was a bit clammy and he looked paler but that wasn’t unusual since he’d been drugged.

       “Just tired. Thinking.” Matt mumbled, catching Shiro’s hand when he began to move it away, lacing their fingers and resting their arms over his abdomen.

       Shiro smiled softly, snuggling closer to his back and using his other arm to rest underneath his head and reach out to brush Matt’s hair back slightly. “I know it’s hard but just try and relax. You really need to rest.” he sighed.

       “It’s not your fault, you know.” Matt deflected, changing the subject because he knew it was on both of their minds.

       “Matt…” Shiro sighed, trailing off.

       “Don’t Matt me, Takashi. It was not your fault.” Matt insisted sternly, turning around in his arms to face him. “He was going to kill you, he almost did. I distracted him, you were bleeding and you wouldn’t leave so I pushed you out otherwise we both would’ve died there. It was too late for me, but I knew you could get out. You had to.” he said, “someone had to get back to Katie.” He then added, “Voltron needs you, Shiro. They need their leader. No one wants to admit it, but out of the two of us, it had to be _you_ that made it out.”

       “Hey.” Shiro said strongly, moving his hand to rest at his jaw and neck to get him to look at him. “You are _not_ expendable.” he started, “even though I didn’t like what happened— believe me I _hated_ it, I understand that there couldn’t have been another way.” he relented with a wince. “But that does _not_ mean that you can throw your life away for mine, for any of ours, just because we’re more _important_?That’s bullshit and you know it. Matt, none of us could live without you.”

       “You did it for me.” Matt replied, voice barely above a whisper. “In the arena. You sacrificed yourself for me, it’s no different.” he defended, his voice growing stronger with intensity. “We take the fall for each other, that’s just what we do. Neither of us are expendable, but we’re still in war. And I’ll do anything to keep you alive. I won’t lose you again.”

       “I don’t want to lose you either— I can’t, Matt.” Shiro sighed, holding him closer to him. “Whatever we do, we do together. We don’t leave each other behind, deal?” he proposed.

       “Deal.” Matt nodded, tracing the scar on Shiro’s face with his finger. “Enough emotional negotiating, just kiss me already.” he smiled weakly.

       “Couldn’t agree more.” Shiro smiled, closing the gap between them and pressing their lips together.

       When they finally pulled away, out of breath and limbs tangled, they both were smiling like idiots.

       Shiro could tell Matt was still weak and was on the verge of crashing so he pulled him close so his head was resting on his chest and he wrapped his arm around him. “Get some sleep, you’re on bed rest for the next few days.”

       “As long as I have you and a computer, that sounds heavenly.” Matt smiled, closing his eyes and melting in his embrace. He had missed this so much.

       “You will, now go to sleep. Jesus you’re such an insomniac.” Shiro laughed, kissing his head.

       “You love me though.” Matt reminded him, smiling mischievously.

       “I love everything about you.” Shiro corrected, looking down at him and smiling when he saw that he was already asleep. “Goodnight, baby.” he whispered, rubbing his arm gently and closing his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> Matt is back safe and sound, but after all that time with the Galra (again) of course there are implications. 
> 
> BUT the babies will be okay, I'm a sucker for happy endings after all! 
> 
> Well, thanks for sticking around long enough to get to the end!! 
> 
> Remember to feel free to comment and to leave prompts! 
> 
> \-- Lane :)


End file.
